AOI or A&A 2: The Fellowship of the Dwarf

<Written with an even thicker head. Sorry again!>

<SNIP>… but heading towards them was a large dragon. He nodded at the plant-lady.
"I know what I must do."
He beat his wings and flew up to meet the fiery foe.</SNIP>

Snapdragon.

Before long he was on its back.
“Hurrrgh!?!” Unimpressed, the monstrous creature writhed about, wriggling and struggling against the love. The Angel gripped with a strength belying his puny (to a dragon) humanoid form. It felt… Warm, and nice.
Mmmmmprrrrrrrrr.
The animal calmed and became placid, purring softly, and allowing Alex to guide it safely to the ground.

The Angel dismounted his scaly steed.
“Stay” he commanded, somehow both meek and firm in his demeanour. The dragon sat obediently and watched him wander off a little way.
“What are you doing?” It rumbled.
The Angel looked back with interest. “I had no idea you could speak”
“Of course I can speak, all dragons can speak” snapped the dragon. He thought about it for a moment. “Apart from the mute ones, of course.”
“Well, there you go.” Al commented, politely, and carried on walking, mumbling and placing stones behind himself.
“Why are you doing that?”
“I was just blessing the area around you.”
“Bit odd, isn't it?”
The Angel took flight and called down. “It’s to keep you here. You’re in a Pen of Blessing, now and you will not be able to cross the barrier.” He waved his hands and mumbled another prayer.
“I just added a roof” he informed the scaled one, who was looking more-than-a-little suspicious at the claim.
“It’s more of a huge invisible marquee, now.”

The doubtful dragon got up and tried to walk through the circle marked out by the stones. He was bounced backwards into the middle of the pen.
The Angel grinned. “Good, is it not?”
“I suppose so, if you like that sort of thing” grumbled the dragon, rubbing its nose.
“Apologies for the inconvenience,” said the angel, genuinely sorry. “I thought it would be a good idea. I’m afraid I would be most upset if you ate my friends.”
The dragon gave a shrug of its wings.
The Angel smiled. “Try and get comfy, I believe I’ve got some more of you to see to.”
“More dragons?”
“More sprites.”

---

Battle of the Sprites

Alex flew through a gap in the cliffs, and into a clearing full of battling creatures. He landed heavily amongst the fray, on one knee.

There was a loud crack as the opposite cliff split, and a further selection of creatures began to pour out. Alex got to his feet, and chuckled as a heavenly chord rang through the air. A ringwraith began advancing on him.

A mysterious track started, seeming to spring forth from Alex’s retro-lovin’ subconscious and echo around the rocky, monster-infested, clearing.

… Life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone, I hear you call my name.
And it feels like...

The Angel put his hands together, and closed his eyes, standing serenely on one leg, in a partial Tree Pose.

He opened his eyes.

... Ho-ome.

It was Like a Prayer, by Madonna.

The ringwraith threw back its cowled head and screeched, the noise chilling the other monsters and villains to their rotten cores. The Angel, however, merely tilted his head.
"Hmm?"
He beckoned to the creature and it charged towards him, brandishing an oversized, ghostly sword and bringing it around in a large angel-aimed arc.

As the track's beat kicked in, so did the Angel. He ducked to avoid the slice of the wraith’s blade and, with a deft sweep of his foot, knocked the dark former-king from its feet. The movement ended in another one-kneed bow.

I'm down on my knees… I wanna take you there.

“Huh, good timing.”

The ringwraith felt momentarily lovely, and screamed in outrage at the sensation – the Angel’s contact, even through its robes, had melted a portion of ice from its heart. It thrashed, fighting against the strange lightness and attempting to get to its feet in a tangle of night-black robe. But it didn’t have the chance to regain its composure, as the Angel threw it high into the air and over the rocky cliff. It landed in the grass of the dragon’s blessed pen. The bored dragon raised an eyebrow and sighed.

As the energetic bass licks and golden synth chords rolled onwards, two buzzbombers flew towards the Angel. He grinned and took flight, laughing as they pursued him at speed.
The shiny black creatures looked at each other, was the white-winged one enjoying this? They returned their gazes to The Angel but for some reason there was no Angel to gaze at.
“Bzzhrrm!!??”
With shock, they realised his feet were now upon them, and that they’d been leashed by 2 strands of golden hair. Their attempt at a burden-shirking increase in velocity was hampered by the angel’s wings, which were being angled to create maximum drag.
All they’d wanted to do was drop their little explosive pellets onto the irritating humanoid, it wasn’t fair.
“Bzzzdarnit!”

I hear your voice. It's like an angel sighing...

But suddenly they were awash with calm, and allowed themselves to be meekly guided to the pen and flown through the Blessing Field. Once safely inside the area, Alex released them and they made their way to the shade behind some rocks.
The dragon gave them a knowing look.

The Angel flew back over the rocky cliff to deal with the rest of his portion of video game rabble.
He touched down, still chuckling at the shocked buzzers, to be immediately charged by a herd of large and angry Zelda bulls. Perhaps landing hadn’t been such a good idea.
A better one struck.

Heaven help me!

He charged, himself, to avoid the onslaught, and ran up a curved rock edge at the side of the clearing. He used the momentum to take flight, and glide back over the bull's heads.
They still tried to follow him, in a heavy multi-footed trundle, hoping to somehow catch and gore him despite the fact he was airborne.
He kept flying towards the cliff till the last moment, when he zipped vertically upwards. It began to dawn on the massive lumbering creatures what was happening, but they couldn’t stop in time. Their tremendous horns blasted through the video-game cliffs, crumbling them to rubble.

The Angel flew temptingly in front of them and the herd put on a burst of speed. The Angel indicated an imagined ‘gate’ to the Blessed Pen and casually stood aside (in reality no gate was needed to enter the field, you could just walk straight in. It was leaving that was the difficult part – for the bad guys, at least). The herd-leaders, feeling something was up, did try and stop, but the bulls at the rear knocked them bundling forwards until they were all safely enclosed in the pen.

Let the choir sing!

“Bless you, furry children.”
The Angel turned around, dusting off his hands, to find Wario and Bowser standing behind him. If he’d been normal-Alex he’d have rolled his eyes and grumbled at the further effort he had to expend, but seeing as he was currently in angel form he just smiled patiently. The would-be assailants responded by lowering their spiked weapons, unable to resist the comforting glow which unexpectedly seemed to be penetrating their beings.
"I thank you for your kindness." Angel-Al took advantage of their sudden chill, and pushed them gently into the pen.

In the midnight hour, I can feel your power...

“Play nicely, gentle-sprites!” Commanded The Angel, looking over the captured characters. The ringwraith pointed, helpfully, and Alex turned to see that stalking over the cliff-rubble was M. Bison, of Street Fighter fame, moving in a freaky T-1000esque manner.

It would try the patience of angels.

“Oh Goodness me, I do have to commend you on your numbers” The Angel complimented. He gave a one shouldered shrug and casually tossed his boomerang halo, knocking the rubble-walker’s hat off. The halero whined through the air and he caught it, clipping it quickly back to his sarong.

Just like a muse to me, you are a mystery...

M. Bison bent to retrieve his headgear, and Alex was by his side almost instantly.
The huge red-clad man gasped in surprise.
“Greetings” smiled the angel, before giving the semi-bent man an enormous wedgie. "Guurgh!" As the large man twisted, groaned, and wriggled, the Angel took flight, gently carrying the uncomfortable one by his shoulders and depositing him in the pen with the others.

Just like a prayer, I'll take you there... Whoaaahh, wooaahh!

The Fellowship of the Dwarf

As the track's outro played, The Angel took the moment of calm to engage in a little joyous dancing. Unable to resist, the penned creatures joined in. The mini-party was interrupted as The Hulk lumbered past, in pursuit of foes which screamed, fled, and flew through the air as his massive fists thrashed and smashed.

Alex nodded politely at his digi-haul friends. "Excuse me."
He jogged over to where the Hulk was now raging about, but the massive green being was so infuriated, and thrashing so violently, that Alex couldn't get near.

“Black Jade!” He called to the plant-woman who'd shuffled along into the same portion of the battle field.
Mid foe-wrangle, she gave him an eerie half-plant, half-human glare.
“Can you harness the hulk?” He enquired loudly. She looked doubtful.
“Just for a few moments!?”
While it was difficult to understand her, there was an unmistakable shrug from the plant-girl, then a long shoot was sent forth, wrapping around the oversized, enraged leader. He fought it. Any longer and he’d surely have snapped his way free, but he didn’t have the chance, for the angel was upon him as he'd been in the chamber, all calm and love.

The Jay-Hulk cooled down and shrunk to his man-form.
He rubbed his head. “I’m sorry. I was out of control again, wasn’t I?”

“How come your trousers shrink with you?” Asked King Kong, who was taking a moment’s breather between beating his own foes, and his gleaming black wings.
Jay gave him a look.
“Not sure now’s the right time for trouser questions” said the Iron Man in his detached inside-the-suit way, as he landed nearby.
“Come on,” said Jay, trying to shake the Hulk remnants away and sounding more like his normal self, “The Ubermensch is up ahead, and I saw Shark Boy and Mech Girl headed that way, too…”
“Also,” said King Kong, pleased that it seemed the private battles were over. “Plisken the White crossed the chasm to the castle not long ago.”
“Perfect."

The gang proceeded towards the large castly thing, with the spires.
“We’ll have to be careful.” Said Chrysler. “I have the feeling there’ll be more fighting yet”.
The others nodded and kept an eye out as they tramped onwards.
Before long, as Jay had predicted, the team were engaged in battle with several hideous demons.

<SNIP>
Artemis began to question his beliefs as the demon smacked him around. Suddenly there was a loud thud and the sounds of conflict. Artemis could see a silhouette. He squinted at the shadow until it became clearer....it was an angel! It was Alex! Artemis wasn't sure, but somehow he believed now. He could also see the demon, whose strength was on par with Alex. Artemis started charging Das Ubergun and lunged into the battle.
Alex tried to push the demon back. Suddenly he felt power surging through his body. He turned his head to see the Ubermensch, now fully aware of his existance, Ubercharging him. "Brother Artemis! I knew you would come around!" The Angel proclaimed. Alex pushed the demon back and in one swift motion, ended his life. </SNIP>

“Oh, that was unfortunate." The Angel looked up, distressed. "I didn’t actually intend for him to come to harm.”
“Don’t worry” reassured The Iron Man. “It was just a load of pixels.”

<SNIP>
Alex approached the Ubermensch. Artemis was dumbfounded. "I don't know what happened....one minute I'm staring invisible demon rape in the face and the next I finally believe in angels and god and fairies and....." Alex laughed. "It is because of my actions, and that even though you may not believe in me or god, you learned that we would always be here for you" Artemis nodded. "Now, what do you say we go find this final boss?"
</SNIP>

The Angel nodded in agreement. Unfortunately, however, a horrific giant worm, larger and more horrific than any of the horrific giant death worms Alex had ever seen – and he’d seen a few horrific giant death worms – rose up from the ground in front of them, between the little gang of warriors and the spired castle which contained the boss, and their friends.

“Alex!” Cried the Ubermensch “This may be where you need to perform that miracle, and we combine forces!”
The Angel gazed upon the gigantic worm, trying to find something positive to say to it. “I uh, I like your stripes” he mumbled.
“Not now, boy! Perform a miracle!” Snapped Artie.
Unsure for the first time since he’d transformed, Alex cast his gaze about. “But what can I do?”
“Uh, I trod on a snail?” Offered Jacky, pointing at a broken-shelled snail who sat in an unhappy heap.
Alex kneeled quickly before it. “May your shell grow back, slimy little friend. May you become strong and healthy.”
The snail glowed and, incredibly, its little shell began to regenerate until it was fully healed.
“Hooray!” Cried Alex with a happy flap of the wings.
“Hooray!” Cried Artemis with a worrying brandish of Das Ubergun. “I can see you even more clearly now!”

“RUUUARARRRGHHHH!!!!!” Groaned the hideous giant death worm, with a bass so deafening that the Dwarfers covered their ears and the snail retreated into its new shell.

“Come, the next stage in our plan!” Artemis declared, when the roar died down. He prodded Alex forwards. “Take me up there!”
The angel took hold of Artie as requested and they flew up till they were level with the worm’s head.

“THE POWER OF SCIENCE AND FAITH COMBINED!” Yelled The Ubermensch, firing Das Ubergun. A large ball of energy crackled from his hands into the gun and was expelled towards the worm. The worm absorbed it, then laughed with a deep rumble, apparently unaffected.

“Oh, dear” said the Angel.
“Wait for it…” replied the Ubermensch.

Then, the worm seemed to get a little smaller.
“Uh oh!” It proclaimed before rapidly shrinking down to normal worm size.

As The Angel and the Ubermensch landed, they could’ve sworn they heard the little snail snigger as the worm yelped and wriggled off in disgrace.

Jay applauded. “Well done. Now, to the towers!”

“Come on then!” Said the Iron Man. “What’re we waiting for!?”
He tapped the Angel on the shoulder. “Thought we were gonna fly together. Bet I can beat you there!”
The Angel took flight and smiled. “I don’t doubt it.”

----
A couple of hours trekkin’ an’ flyin’ later.

As the team crossed the drawbridge, they saw their beloved Plisken, and Dungeon Master Tregard ahead.
“Plisken!!!” Yelled several of the Dwarfers, happily. “We thought we’d lost you!”
“Er, I did say he’d crossed the chasm to the castle…” Jacky pointed out.
“Shh, that’s less exciting.”

“Well done, plucky travellers” smiled Tregard. “You have reached The Boss. It is time to truly put your powers to the test.”
The Dwarfers exchanged various excited and worried glances.

“Welcome…" said Dungeon Master in hushed tones "... to Robotnik’s Lair!”

It would have been an incredible, filmic, moment, but just then Gummy Jaxx and Silky Eve (AKA Shark Boy and Mech Girl) charged past, being chased by a very large dragon.

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<TAG: Everyone – i) Don't f'get backposts about your battles if you’ve not done one and want to. ii) What’s happening in Robotnik’s lair. How do we defeat him?>

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